This time of year brings with it so many of our favorite things… fall leaves, cozy sweaters, lovely libations, holiday traditions, and lots and lots of sweet treats. And with Halloween coming up, we already know there will be an abundance of chocolatey, sugary desserts almost anywhere we go. Whether you’re trick-or-treating with little ones or working in an office with a never-ending supply of candy, it can be hard not to overindulge as the holiday season starts.

With that in mind, we wanted to come up with some healthier alternatives to some of our favorite chocolate bars, so that we could still snack on sweets as we celebrate our favorite holidays, and feel good about the choices we’re making. We enlisted the best baker in the business, Lauren Lowstan of A Sweet Savory, to help us create some healthy, homemade chocolate bars, and we can guarantee (after some serious taste testing) that these sweets are absolutely delicious. You’d never guess they’re made with ingredients like quinoa and coconut oil…

Take a look at Lauren’s recipes and get inspired to create your own healthy, homemade treats!

Homemade Healthy Crunch Bars

Ingredients:

1 pound of dark chocolate

2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

3/4 cup brown rice crisp cereal

a pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a double broiler, or in a glass bowl in the microwave.

2. Add in the uncooked quinoa, brown rice crisp cereal, and salt.

3. Line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper.

4. Pour the chocolate into your lined pan and set in the freezer to chill.

5. Once your chocolate block has hardened, remove from the freezer, and take the block out of the pan.

6. Cut into bars and enjoy!

By the way, these bars are best kept in the fridge in an airtight container. If they are left out at room temp for too long, they may soften a bit.

Homemade Coconut Bars

Ingredients:

Coconut filling:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

3 Tbsp maple syrup

3 Tbsp coconut butter, melted

3 Tbsp coconut milk

Chocolate coating:

1 1/2 pounds dark chocolate (in any form, chunks, chips, etc)

1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the coconut, maple syrup, coconut butter, and coconut milk until the ingredients are combined well and still has a little texture. You don’t want a smooth batter, and you want to be able to feel the coconut shreds.

2. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture and divide it in half. Mold each half into a bar shape with rounded edges. Place the bars into a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Once you’ve formed all your bars, place the baking sheet into the freezer until they are rock solid.

4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl in the microwave, in 40 second intervals, stirring after each. (I like using a glass Pyrex measuring cup).

5. Once your bars are frozen, dunk each bar one at a time into the melted chocolate. Place it back onto the parchment paper and finish coating all bars.

6. Using a fork, lightly drizzle the reserved chocolate onto the tops of all the bars.

A big thanks to Lauren Lowstan for helping us kick off this holiday season on a healthier note!